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Update, see below:
From the latest City Manager's Report
City Manager Message---
Funding for Fire Rescue Services
As previously discussed, the City submitted a funding proposal for the fire rescue services to the County which would remove the City from the Fire Rescue MSTU and allow the City to establish a special assessment for the services and use ad valorem taxes for rescue services. By removing the City from the Fire rescue MSTU, City tax payers would no longer pay the MSTU millage rate of 3.4581 mills and the City could fund Rescue Services by levying a millage rate of 1.1496 mills. As shown on Table 16, the City would be able to fund $2,769,800 of the fire rescue services contract and $1,094,000 of the required contribution to the firefighters pension plan with a special assessment estimated at $300 to $330 on the 12,132 parcels in the City.
With the City nearly depleting ALL reserves since 2009, what IS GOING ON?
Scenario #1:
Typical house in the TRNA neighborhood:
1,676 square feet paying taxes on adjusted appraised value after double homestead or $25,000.
Present: 3.4581 mils = $86.45 for MSTU
2012: 1.1496 mils = $28.74 plus $330.00 = $358.74
Scenario #2:
Typical house off of HighRidge
2,051 square feet paying taxes on adjusted appraised value after double homestead or
$39,435
Present: 3.4581 mils = $136.37
2012: 1.1496 mils = $45.33 plus $330.00 = $375.33
Scenario #3
Typical house on N. Golfview Rd
3,114 square feet paying taxes on adjusted appraised value after double homestead or
$185,178
Present: 3.4581 mils = $640.36
2012: 1.1496 mils = $212.88 plus $330.00 = $542.88
Scenario #4
House on the Intra-Coastal in College Park
7,185 square feet paying taxes on adjusted appraised value after double homestead or
$738,704
Present: 3.4581 mils = $2,554.51
2012: 1.1496 mils = $825.98 plus $330.00 = $1,155.98
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You can see as the value of the house goes up, the owner pays less with this new Fire/Rescue charge. The less affluent will be subsidizing the wealthy. The only fair way is a charge per square footage.
And that's not all--A Special Assessment for those with street lights is being proposed with an estimated special assessment tax of "less than $50.00." Also, the City will be charging 0.3145 mils more for the cost of an Internal Auditor at $246,456 and the PB County Inspector General of $78,225.
Proposed Budget 2012
In the words of the old show, Laugh-In, SOCK IT TO ME
ReplyDeleteThe BCME knows how to sock it to those who have less. The citizens of Lake Worth need to say enough of the City spending and no to the folly of a new Lake Worth Fire Department. If we don't, our taxes will continue to climb until the 10 mill cap is reached.
ReplyDeleteEvery new conceivable expense that comes around will be shifted to the non-advalorem as a special assessment. NO WAY TO RUN A GOVERNMENT. If the City gets away with this now, expect it always in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this is happening is because Stanton and the commission have allowed code enforcement to die in our city. This has caused our neighborhoods to lose so much in value and we now have less than half of our homeowners paying to support this city. Until we figure out how to get people to want to live here again we are faced with bigger and bigger problems. High electric rates, bad schools, and a history of screwing investors makes this city a poor choice for most folks. Think about where Rachel Waterman invested her money before she went broke. It was not our city. There is no reason a nice house should sell for $60,000 unless of course it happens to be on C St. or nearby. Thanks Cara!
ReplyDeleteYou keep blaming the wrong people for this ugly economic recession. Look at the bankers. People had no clue as to what they were signing. All they knew is they wanted a part of the American Dream. Bankers convinced them they could afford it all. We have old housing stock here on small lot lines. Preperty values have never been that of some other cities. We never invested in our infrastructure. VARELA HAD THE RIGHT IDEA ON THIS ONE. We kept on trying to attract and build affordable housing when all along we needed to bring up the city by building bigger homes and attracting bigger dollars. This affordable housing crap has been a steady policy for decades.
ReplyDeleteWe attracted the investor who bought when property values were higher and growing out of proportion who wanted to flip. Then the market dived. We got more and more renters than we deserved. Look at the greedy investor. Look at that guy who walked away and left us hanging with over 1,000 foreclosures now on the books.
WEHRE WATERMAN WAS LIVING AT THE TIME OF HER FINANCIAL PROBLEM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING.
I will be there on the 28th as I was forced to sit there for 3 hours without getting a chance to blast someone.
ReplyDeleteBlame our city attorney for you not getting to speak at the last meeting.People should have been able to speak,but Elaine has NO CLUE as to the rules she SHOULD BE ADVISING our Commissioners on!Put a new city attorney on the must have list for Lake Worth. What will we be taxed for next-our roads?!?
ReplyDelete